Electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) may be used by oil and gas well operators when reservoir pressure alone is insufficient to efficiently produce from a well. ESPs are installed on the end of a tubing string and are inserted into the completed wellbore, below the level of reservoir fluids. ESPs employ a centrifugal pump driven by an electric motor to draw reservoir fluids into the pump, through the tubing string, and to the surface.
Depending on pressure and flow requirements, the ESP may contain multiple sets of blades or impellers arranged in multiple pump stages. As a result of this variation in blade and impellor arrangements, ESPs can vary significantly in length. For example, small ESPs may only be a few feet long while larger ESPs can extend several dozen feet.
Testing of ESPs typically involves mounting the pump on a test bench having a suitable drive, connecting the pump to a hydraulic circuit, and then running the drive to operate the ESP and circulate fluid through the hydraulic circuit. As the ESP operates, flow, pressure, and other measurements are collected to verify the ESP is operating as designed.
Testing different length ESPs requires either multiple test benches configured for different ESP lengths, or a test bench and associated hydraulic piping that can be reconfigured to accommodate variations in ESP length. If the hydraulic circuit contains rigid pipe or other inflexible components, reconfiguration may require time-consuming addition or removal of hydraulic circuit components, leading to undesirable labor costs and down-time of the test bench. Alternatively, expensive movable fittings, such as swivel-type pipe joints, may be installed in the hydraulic circuit and on the test bench to allow repositioning of the components to accommodate varying pump lengths. These types of fittings can be cost-prohibitive.
Accordingly, there is a need for an ESP test bench that can readily accommodate varying lengths of ESPs with minimal downtime required to reconfigure the test bench for different ESP lengths.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.